Who Will Pick You Up When You Fall Down
by Oz Lovi
Summary: When pushed too far even the strongest warrior may break. And when Jack is pushed to the brink how will he react and how will those who care most for him reach out to him.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Who Will Pick You Up When You Fall Down

Summary: When pushed too far even the strongest warrior may break. And when Jack is pushed to the brink how will he react and how will those who care most for him reach out to him.

Featured: Sam/Jack

Disclaimer: They're not mine, no infringement intended, no profit made, and no payment requested but reviews. :o)

**Chapter 1**

"Where did they find him?" Sam asked as she and General Hammond raced into the 'gate room.

"We don't know yet, but it doesn't look good. They said something about a prison or slave ship." He saw the look in her eyes as they stopped at the end of the ramp.

"Is he all right?"

"That's also something we don't know yet," the General replied sadly.

The Stargate shimmered as several men walked through. They weren't carrying anyone, so he was likely in good enough shape to walk. That's what she thought, until she saw him. The men walked with him centered in the group. His usually expressive eyes were focused on nothing in particular, as if he didn't see any of them.

"Colonel. It's good to have you back." The General looked at the men with him then at Sam. "Colonel?" he asked as he looked at him again.

She felt her stomach knot as the General addressed him, with no response at all. The 'leader' of the group approached them. He was definitely Tok'ra, as his clothing suggested and his voice verified.

"I apologize for not contacting your people sooner, but we did not want to give away our position until we were closer to your planet."

The General waved the statement off. "We're just glad you found him. We've been looking for months with no sign of where he was or who had him."

The Tok'ra man looked at Sam. "You are Major Samantha Carter?"

"Yes," she said quietly, her eyes focused on the Colonel.

"Your father asked me to tell you he will be here as soon as possible."

Mention of her dad grabbed her attention. "Where is he?"

"On a top secret mission. As soon as he found out what had happened he contacted me and asked me to let you know he is trying to get here, to help."

"Help?" the General asked. "With what?"

The man again apologized. "I am sorry that I do not have better news. Perhaps if we had found him sooner, we could have kept him….lucid."

Sam's eyes widened as what he was trying to say dawned on her. "He's catatonic?" she half stated and half questioned.

"I am afraid it is very close to that. He acknowledges nothing and no one. As you saw, General, he does not even acknowledge his surroundings, or that he has been spoken to." The man hung his head sadly. "I am afraid he may be lost in his own mind permanently."

"I won't accept that," the General stated, matter of factly. "We'll find some way to get through to him." This he said more for Sam, when he saw the distant look in her eyes as she stared at the Colonel, who was still standing on the ramp.

The Tok'ra nodded deeply then moved to his men. They spoke quietly for a second then escorted the Colonel to Dr. Janet Frasier, waiting impatiently near the door. "He will follow you, but do not expect any other acknowledgment from him. Asking him to do something will not help. You must show him what to do."

"Thank you," she said as she walked out of the 'gate room with the Colonel tagging along behind her.

The General turned to Sam. "Go with her. You might be able to help her with him."

"Sir?" she asked, feeling puzzled and slightly apprehensive.

"He's your friend, as well as your teammate." At her nod he added, "You know each other very well, and that's what he needs right now."

"Yes, Sir." She quietly walked toward the infirmary.

The General headed back to the control room. Picking up the phone he said, "Get me Dr. Jackson's quarters."

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Sam watched for a moment at the door. Janet had been able to get him onto the exam bed, but she was having trouble getting him to cooperate for the exam. She quietly walked into the room. "Colonel, I know you can hear me. I need you to lie down," Janet said lightly exasperated.

The Tok'ra leader had arrived shortly after Sam. He approached Janet politely. "As I said, Doctor, you must show him." He patted the pillow and to Sam and Janet's surprise he laid back. "You need to be subtle, but persistent."

"Thank you again," Janet said, slightly annoyed, but grateful for his help.

The Tok'ra left the room giving Sam a nod on his way out. She glanced up to Janet, who turned and looked at her. "Sam, I didn't see you. Come on in. I'm trying to do some x-rays, to make sure he doesn't have any broken bones."

Sam quietly walked over to them as Janet continued to bustle around the infirmary with her equipment, taking x-rays, then running a myriad of other tests. As she was getting ready to take some blood samples it occurred to her that it might not be easy. The Colonel hated getting poked, but he didn't even acknowledge the fact that she had stuck him. This worried not only her, but Sam, as well. She put the tube of blood on the tray and turned to Sam. "Did you see that? He didn't even move." She caught sight of the General, Teal'c, and Daniel standing just inside the doorway. "Sir."

"I can't believe it," Daniel said in amazement. "He hates needles." Looking at Sam and then Janet he asked, "What's going on?"

Janet nodded toward the hallway, not that it would matter, at this point, if she talked in front of the Colonel. As they stepped into the hall she said, "Did you have a chance to tell them, Sir?"

The General shook his head. "I thought it might be best to have you tell them."

"He's close to catatonic." She saw Daniel's stunned look. "What ever happened to him, he's retreated into his mind, or something along those lines. The Tok'ra were right, he doesn't acknowledge anyone or anything."

"What are we going to do?" Teal'c's deep voice asked.

"We have to try to reach him, somehow," Daniel said. "Can we try to talk to him?"

"If you want. I don't think it's going to do much good."

As they all walked back into the infirmary, Teal'c stepped next to Sam and stared warmly at him. "O'Neill, it is good to see you."

No response.

Daniel tried next. "How are you, Jack? You like you've been through heck. Did you kill any Goa'uld along the way?"

No response.

"Colonel, do you want to talk to us?" the General waited hopefully.

Again there was no response as he continued to stare at nothing.

They walked toward the door in silence. As Janet followed them she said, "It's going to take time to get through to him." Turning to look back at him she saw Sam step up to the edge of the exam bed, where he was sitting. "What is she doing?"

"Doctor?" the General questioned. He and the others followed her gaze.

Sam looked him in the eyes, or rather she tried to. It was like he was looking past her, as is she wasn't even there. "Sir?" She waited for a second, and then tried again. "Sir?"

Janet could hear the love in Sam's voice as she spoke to him, and she wondered if anyone else noticed as they continued to watch them.

Gently Sam put her hand on his cheek. She looked at her hand in surprise as he put his hand over it. Glancing up again she found him looking her right in the eyes. He put his other hand on her cheek and, though his expression hadn't changed, his eyes were searching hers. "I'm real," she said quietly. To her surprise he hugged her tightly against him. She closed her eyes for a second in relief as she returned his hug. The others were watching them, she knew, but she wasn't about to break the hug off until he was ready. She felt tears soaking her shirt and she realized he was crying. What seemed like several minutes later, he broke the hug off and sat back.

Janet quietly walked up behind Sam. "Colonel?" After the reaction he had to Sam she was surprised when he still didn't acknowledge her. However she did notice that he kept eye contact with Sam, even though she looked toward the others, he kept looking at her.

"Sir, you should get some sleep." Sam gently patted the pillow and he lay down.

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After a short and not very informative briefing on the Colonel, Sam cautiously entered the infirmary. Glancing at his bed she saw he was sound to sleep. Pulling up a chair, she sat next to his bed and simply watched him for a few minutes until she too fell asleep.

Janet walked in from her office and looked at the sight in front of her. 'Those two' she thought to herself. Quietly she checked the IV she had given the Colonel, in her attempt to hydrate him. As she walked toward her office she glanced back at him and noticed he was awake. She was about to try talking to him when she realized he was watching Sam again, very intently. He ignored the noise her shoes made as she walked toward them and even her quiet question, "Colonel?" Shaking her head she walked back to her office again.

Sam opened her eyes and saw the deep brown eyes of her commanding officer staring at her. Straightening in the chair she said, "Hi, Sir." She sat up and rubbed her eyes lightly. "You were asleep when I came in. I thought I would wait, but I didn't intend to fall asleep. Sorry about that, Sir." They stared at each other for a moment before Janet walked in. Sam turned at the sound of the petite doctor's shoes clicking on the floor. "Hi, Janet."

"I'm glad to see you actually, Sam." She glanced at the Colonel then back to her. "I need you to give me a hand with something."

Janet's request had her floored a moment later. Sam's eyes widened, she was thoroughly stunned. "You want me to what?" She still thought maybe she was kidding.

"Come on, Sam. I know it sounds bizarre, but you're the only person he has made any connection with." Janet stared her down and decided to add the guilt angle to her request. "He'd do it for you if the situation was reversed."

"I would hope that he wouldn't have to." She blushed slightly. The continued stare from her friend finally made her give in to the logic behind it. He connected with her; he seemed to trust her, as usual. It was logical then that he would let her help him, at the least follow her instructions. With a sigh she said, "What do I have to do, Janet?"

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Thanks for reading. Please review and let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Who Will Pick You Up When You Fall Down

Summary: When pushed too far even the strongest warrior may break. And when Jack is pushed to the brink how will he react and how will those who care most for him reach out to him.

Featured: Sam/Jack

Disclaimer: They're not mine, no infringement intended, no profit made, and no payment requested but reviews. :o)

**Chapter 2**

Quietly walking into the infirmary she shook her head as the thought that had been going through her mind popped up again. 'I can't believe I'm doing this. How do I let Janet talk me into these things?' As she neared the Colonel's bed she noticed that he was awake and again staring at nothing. For a moment she was afraid that he had retreated into his mind completely again. As she stepped in front of him her fears were banished, as he instantly looked her in the eyes. She smiled at him. "Hello, Sir." He still didn't talk, but he did seem to be listening to her. 'All right, I can do this.' "I want you to sit up, please."

He didn't move until she motioned to him. 'Well, that hasn't changed then. Oh no, that means I have to show him what to do!' She closed her eyes briefly as she tried to figure out how to do this. "Follow me, Sir," she said as she motioned toward the hall. She glanced behind her to make sure he was following her. 'I can't believe I let her talk me into this.' Slowing as they neared the SG-1 team locker room she looked around to see if anybody was watching before she opened the door and walked inside. He quietly followed her inside. "Please sit down, Sir." As she motioned toward the bench he sat down. Keeping her back to him she talked as she pulled things from his locker. "Janet wants you to get cleaned up, and for some reason she thinks I should be the one to help you. I really do hope you don't mind, Sir. If you have any idea what I want you to do please help me out here, Sir, so I don't have to do this myself." She turned around and found him sitting there staring at her as he had been earlier. No readable emotions, simply looking at her and staring into her eyes when she looked at him. "Why won't you talk to us?" she asked as she knelt down to take off his shoes. "Why won't you talk to me?" She shook her head with a sad smile. "Janet says you connected with me, even though you won't connect with anybody else, but you still won't even talk to me." She glanced up as she stood. There was a mark on his temple that seemed somewhat familiar. Gently she brushed a stray piece of his, longer than usual, hair away from his face. "That looks like it came from a Tok'ra recall device." she said as she lightly touched the mark. Her eyes widened and she jumped slightly when he grabbed her wrist. The look in his eyes hadn't changed as he stared into her eyes, but it was obvious he didn't want her to touch the mark. As she moved her hand away from his temple he let go of her hand. "I'm sorry, Sir."

Watching him out of the corner of her eye, as she picked up some towels and his razor, she noticed that he hadn't moved an inch. Not even the slightest shift in his position, even though she was sure the bench couldn't be comfortable. Something had pushed him to the breaking point, which was no small feat considering who he was and the things he'd been through. That thought scared her a little; as it meant that they might not be able to get through to him. Well, nobody else that was. Turning toward him, she decided to see if he would give her a hand. "Please, take off your shirt, Sir." When he didn't move she knelt in front of him again and unbuttoned his shirt for him. "Please?" she tried again. Still no movement to do as she asked. Sighing, she pushed the shirt off of his shoulders and thought she would be sick. He had so many bruises that she didn't know where to start counting them. She stood and motioned him to do the same as she stepped behind him. She found similar marks there as he stood. Pulling the shirt off and tossing it to the floor, she eyed it closely for the first time. It was covered in little rips, and most notably, blood. She looked over the marks on his skin finding small cuts that had been mostly healed, many bruises, even some faded burns, and what looked like wounds from some kind of weapon fire.

Looking him in the eyes as she stepped in front of him again she asked, "What did they do to you?!" When, as expected, he didn't answer she shook her head and continued with her current mission. "Will you please take off your slacks, Sir? Janet wants you to take a shower." As an afterthought she added, "Please leave on your shorts, Sir." Thinking to herself she thought; please let him have shorts on, please. When she looked at him again he was still standing there. "You would make me do this, wouldn't you?" She asked. "Why won't you simply let me show you what I want you to do, so I don't have to do this?" She gave him a slightly nervous look. After staring him down for a moment she decided that the longer she waited the less she was going to like this idea. Managing to get his slacks off she was pleased that he'd sort of cooperated, and thankfully was wearing boxer shorts. Getting him to follow her she picked up some of his things from the locker and headed toward the shower area through the doorway in the rear of the room.

The shower area wasn't very big compared to the main shower and locker room, but the teams were usually small so a smaller shower was sufficient. Setting the shampoo and soap on the half wall around the shower she motioned him into it. As he slowly followed her direction it occurred to her that she might get soaked herself if she actually had to wash him. Hopefully he would do that much himself, she thought. She reached in front of him and turned on the showerhead. When she stepped out of the way he stared into nothing again. Shaking her head she picked up the sponge and soap and, stepping into his line of sight, she tried to hand them to him. Again, he looked at her, but seemed not to pay attention to what she was holding. Trying the direct approach she took his hand and pressed the sponge into it. His response was to simply hold it with his hand exactly where she had lifted it. "That's it. I've had enough of this. If you get embarrassed and upset about it when you're yourself again, then so be it." Taking the sponge from him and soaping it up she scrubbed as carefully as she could at his chest and ribs, trying not to make his bruises any sorer than they likely were. After several minutes she had managed to wash him front and back, and she was trying to get him to move under the cascading water to rinse all the soap off. "Please step forward, Sir." Pleased that he did as she asked, she stepped out of the path of the water.

Lightly tugging him toward the half wall on the rear of the shower, she picked up the shampoo. His hair was wet enough, so she put a handful of it on his hair. As she tried to scrub it in she was horrified at the amount of blood that was rinsing out of his hair. He had to have a number of cuts and scrapes on his head too. After another shampoo and rinse she felt satisfied that he was as clean as she could get him at the moment. The only thing left was to give him a shave and trim his hair, the latter she was leaving to a barber. She didn't dare try to cut his hair, not if she wanted it to look good, she thought. As for the shave, she hopped up onto the half wall and sat facing him. Picking up the shaving cream she'd sat there, she put a generous amount in her hand then gently rubbed it on his face. As she picked up the razor, it occurred to her that she'd never given a man a shave before. With an apologetic grin she said, "If I nick you I'm sorry, Sir. I've never done this before." As nerve racking, as it seemed at first, she quickly got the hang of it. Before long she was finished. Setting the razor down she hopped off the wall. When her feet landed on the tile she slipped on a bit of shampoo she missed earlier. She fell forward, toward him. Grabbing his shoulders to get her balance she stared at him as she realized his arms were around her waist. He'd caught her. "I guess sometimes you don't have to be shown what to do." She stepped away, carefully, as he let go of her. After rinsing the remaining shaving cream off his face she made sure he was dry then she did the best she could to get him into the clothes Janet had given her, with a lot of prompting and helping. She thought to herself, 'Mission accomplished, sort of'.

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As he followed her into the infirmary, Sam looked around for Janet. Not seeing her around, she guided him to his bed and got him to sit down. Quietly poking her head in Janet's office she spotted her intently reading a file. From the sheer size of it she guessed it was the Colonel's. "Colonel O'Neill's file?"

The petite doctor looked up and grinned. "I was going over some of the test results. He's been through a lot recently from the look of it." Seeing the sad look in her friend's eyes she decided to let it go, but Sam spoke up.

"No kidding. I saw the bruises, and so help me, if I get a hold of those…" She paused. "I'd get court marshaled if I did it, trust me."

Janet was a little concerned at the serious look on her face. She wasn't kidding and that meant that they'd done something terrible to him. "Mission accomplished?" She changed the subject.

"Sort of." Sam looked at the floor and then briefly glanced at Janet. The moment she looked at her she blushed furiously. At the sly grin on her friend's face she blushed even worse.

"I take it he wasn't very cooperative."

"Oh he was cooperative, as long as I did everything." Looking up again she said, "I was going to ask if you had a comb, for his hair?"

"Sure." Looking through her desk she pulled the item out and handed it to her. "So, he didn't do anything? You had to do it all?" She asked as they walked toward the Colonel's bed.

"Yeah." Pausing, she thought a second and turned. "There was something I thought you might be interested in, though."

"What?" Janet's curiosity was up. Following Sam's lead, she walked over to him. Her eyes widened as Sam brushed a piece of his hair away from his temple. "A Tok'ra recall device?"

"I think so." She quickly grabbed her hand as the other woman reached to touch the mark. When she stared at her questioningly Sam let go of her hand. "Not a good idea."

"What makes you think that?" When she didn't answer immediately Janet stared her down. "Sam? What happened?"

"I touched it and he grabbed my wrist, very gently. As soon as I moved my hand he let go of it."

"Did he seem different when he did that?"

"No. That was the strange thing. The look in his eyes didn't change, either time." When Janet stared at her again she said, "Sorry. I slipped and when I fell toward him I had to grab him. It took a second before I realized he had caught me. That's why all I had to do was grab onto him until I had my feet on solid ground. He had his arms around my waist. He let go pretty quickly, but he never even flinched. I didn't even notice he'd moved he did it so quietly and with very little motion."

"Well, that's an improvement over not moving at all without prompting." She shook her head. "What do you think they did to him?"

"From the look of his ribs, I'd say they beat him, a lot." Eyeing her friend, she asked, "Did you look at him? I mean without his shirt on. Did you get to look him over before you did the x-rays?"

She shook her head. "He wouldn't cooperate. I couldn't get him to do what I asked. That's why I wanted you to get him cleaned up. After the way he's responded to you I figured that he would at least follow you."

"He did, but that's about it." She turned around to face him. "Guess we should get your hair combed before it dries too much, Sir." Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw Janet step toward her office. Satisfied that she didn't have an audience, Sam carefully combed his hair trying to avoid any of the cuts she could see. She had to admit, to herself anyway, that she was enjoying messing with his hair. The silver grey strands were as soft as she thought they would be. Realizing that she had a goofy little grin on her face, she blushed and quickly stepped away from him. Looking him in the eyes, she saw something that seemed different to her. It was like there was a tiny hint of spark in them. Small enough that if she hadn't been staring into his eyes so intently she wouldn't have noticed, she thought. Smiling at him, she turned around and almost ran straight into the General. Her smile disappeared and her eyes widened. "General, Sir." Swallowing the guilty lump in her throat she said, "I'm sorry. I didn't see you there, Sir."

With a small grin he said, "I noticed." Glancing at the Colonel he asked, "I take it you were able to get him cleaned up?"

"Uh, yes, Sir. Janet told you that she asked me to help him?" Even she noticed the slight edge of panic to her voice.

With another grin he said, "I agreed with her. Of anyone here you were the most likely to get him to listen." Seeing the look on her face, he guessed that it hadn't quite worked the way they'd planned. "I'm sorry if it was awkward for you."

"Thank you, Sir." Giving the General a small smile she decided to change the subject , "Have we heard from my father yet, Sir?"

"Not yet." Eyeing her closely he noticed that she seemed to be thinking about something. "What is it?"

"I think you should see this, Sir." Stepping to the Colonel again she showed the mark to him. "It looks like someone used a Tok'ra memory recall device on him. And from the look of the mark I'm guessing they used it for a long time." When he stared at her she added, "I doubt that he gave them any information that they could use, Sir."

"What do you think they used it for then?" There was obvious concern in his eyes.

"They could have used it as a form of torture, like Apophis did on Natu." She stared at the mark again, an idea forming in her head. Turning quickly to the General she said, "Sir, I have an idea that might help us get through to him. At the very least let us find out what happened."

"And what's that, Major?"

"If we could use the Tok'ra recall devices to connect the Colonel's mind with someone else's we might be able to see what happened through his eyes." She could see the skeptical look he gave her and tried to make the idea seem more plausible. "We would have to contact the Tok'ra to get the devices and see if we can even use them that way. If my Dad hasn't left for here yet he could bring the devices with him."

Her enthusiasm was easy to see and easy to catch, with the prospect of getting one of his officers, and friends, back. "I'll talk to them and find out if he's left yet. If he has we'll see if they'll send someone else with the devices. If, and I stress if, you're sure it's safe." He didn't miss the somewhat disappointed look in her eyes. She hid it well, though, when she responded.

"Yes, Sir. I'll talk to Janet and see if she thinks he's up to it." She quickly headed for Janet's office. As the General was leaving he paused and spoke briefly to the Colonel. Her eyes widened as she heard what he said.

"She'd do almost anything for you, son, and I know you'd do almost anything for her. So, please, come home to us."

She spun around as he left the infirmary, staring at the doorway. "Sam?" Janet stepped up behind her. "What is it?"

Looking at her friend she covered her surprise quickly. "The General said we could try the Tok'ra memory devices to attempt to reach the Colonel. He's going to see if they'll send them with dad."

Janet's eyes widened. "What do you plan to do, Sam?"

"I'm going to see if there's someway we can use them to link his mind with another." Seeing the obvious objections in her friend's eyes she crossed her arms and waited.

"Sam, I don't think this is a good idea. You know that someone used those things on him, likely as a form of torture. Do you really think he's going to let us do this? More to the point, do you think he's going to let someone play in his mind without putting up some kind of fight?" There was a sad look in Sam's eyes and she realized that she wasn't going to let someone else do this. It was going to be her that tried to reach him. Admittedly, he had responded to her even if it was very little it was more than he'd given anyone else. "I see. _You _will try to reach him. In all honesty, you're probably the only person he will let do this."

"Thanks, Janet," she said as she sensed the doctor's support. "I'm going to go talk to him for a bit while we wait for dad."

Janet nodded and watched as her friend walked over to the Colonel and, instead of sitting in the chair across from him, hopped up to sit next to him. Janet was about to walk into her office when she noticed a movement from him. He followed Sam's movements with his eyes but when she sat next to him where she would have been out of his line of sight he turned his head to follow her. She made a mental note to add this to his file. Seeing the smile that Sam gave him as she also seemed to notice the new behavior Janet walked into her office to give them some privacy.

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Thanks for reading. Please review and let me know what you think.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Who Will Pick You Up When You Fall Down

Summary: When pushed too far even the strongest warrior may break. And when Jack is pushed to the brink how will he react and how will those who care most for him reach out to him.

Featured: Sam/Jack

Disclaimer: They're not mine, no infringement intended, no profit made, and no payment requested but reviews. :o)

**Chapter 3**

"Dad's coming to give us a hand. Maybe he can think of something that I missed." Taking a deep breath to build her confidence she looked into his eyes. "He's going to bring some Tok'ra memory recall devices for me to use." Deep in his eyes she saw a glimmer of something. Was that a hint of fear? "I give you my word, Sir, that I will not do this if you don't want me to. You just have to give me some clue and I'll tell them to forget it. This was my idea, to try to link our minds. Yours and mine." Seeing the glimmer of fear fade again she hesitantly put her hand on his cheek. "Will you let me do this?" Not getting any kind of response she sighed and pulled her hand away. She was about to stand up and leave when she felt his hand cover hers in the little space that was between them where they sat. "Do you want me to stay, Sir?" She was hoping for some kind of reaction but they were interrupted as the General and her father walked in.

As Sam stood and walked toward them, Jacob focused on Jack. He was watching her. As soon as she stepped out of his line of sight he focused on nothing at all. It was juts as George had told him. This wasn't good and after hearing from George what his daughter wanted with the memory devices he wasn't sure that he should have brought them. "Sam, you can't be serious. With the condition he's in this isn't likely to work."

"But, it can be done." She latched onto the unintended admission.

Smacking himself mentally for letting her get that much yet he said, "Theoretically."

"Then why not try? I owe him that much." Realizing what she'd said she added, "We all do."

"Sam, honey, I know that but this isn't something that we can just hook him up to and instantly draw him out. This requires actually going into his thoughts because he's not focused enough on this as reality to help us out much. Not to mention that you could actual bring up your own memories by accident. This thing," he held the device up for emphasis "Has to be on a very high setting to do this even when both participants are focused on blending their minds. You know from experience how painful it can be when you aren't purposely focusing and something triggers an unbidden memory."

"I know that, dad. And, I'm willing to risk it." She gave him a determined look.

"You? I don't think so." There was no way he was going to let her do this. It was a Tok'ra technology and he was the full Tok'ra here.

Janet interrupted his thoughts. "Jacob, he's not likely to let anyone but Sam do this. I know the General told you how he responded to her and how little he's responded to anyone else. Besides, I'm not sure he'll let us do this anyway."

"What do you mean, Janet?" He noticed the quick glance she cast to Sam.

Sam looked him in the eyes. "Whoever had him used one as a form of torture from what we can guess."

"And you think he's going to let you put this thing on him?" He was amazed that she would even suggest it knowing that.

"He'll let me, Dad."

"How do you know?"

"I told him what I was planning to do and I gave him my word that if he didn't want me to I wouldn't. He just had to give me some clue."

"All right, we'll try, but if he gives any hint that he isn't comfortable with this that's it."

The group followed her over to the Colonel and all of them took notice of how quickly his eyes locked onto her when she entered his line of sight again. As they gathered around them she held out her hand with the two memory devices in it.

As she held out the devices she watched his eyes and nodded toward the items. "I want to put this on your head, Sir." She picked up his hand and placed one of the devices in it. She could sense the surprise of the others when he gently placed the device against her temple. It seemed to increase when he softly brushed a piece of her hair away from it before putting his hand down. When she placed the device on his temple he didn't even flinch and she let out the breath she was holding. Taking a seat next to him she looked to her father. "What now?"

Jacob didn't miss the fact that Jack actually turned his head to keep looking at her. "We turn them on." As he held out the device that would power them up he hesitated. "Maybe I should let you do this, Sam."

Taking the item from him she looked the Colonel in the eyes. "This might hurt a little if we stir up unbidden memories, Sir." As she reached toward him with the device she paused before activating the recall devices. "Do you trust me?" Seeing no hint of distrust in his eyes she turned the devices on.

Jacob took the item from her and stepped away slightly. "To make this work you need to think about your mission before he was captured. Close your eyes and picture what you were doing before the bad guys showed up." Noticing that Jack was not going to cooperate on this point he was tempted reach over to him to show him what to do but Sam beat him to it. He watched in amazement as she gently put her hands on either side of his face and softly touched his eyelids with her thumbs coaxing him to close them. Moving her hands away she closed her eyes and focused.

In her mind she could see the planet they'd been on. It occurred to her that she might not be able to tell if these were her memories or his. "Dad, how do I tell our memories of the planet apart?" Something caught her attention and she grinned. "Never mind." She saw Daniel picking up a large piece of stone pottery that he insisted was an artifact. She heard the Colonel comment, _"Looks like a rock to me." _That proved to her that this was his memory because she had never actually heard him say that on the mission. Suddenly the images changed and they were being fired on by a small ship and running for the 'gate. There was an explosion as the ship launched a small warhead at them. _"Carter, dial the 'gate, now!" _She moved quickly to do as he ordered. A moment later the wormhole opened and they made their way into it but she was caught by a flash from nearby and realized the ship was headed straight for the Colonel who was covering their escape. _"Colonel, look out!" _As he dove out of the strafing run what looked like a transport beam hit him and he was zapped up. The ship quickly took off through the planet's atmosphere. This part she knew was from her memory. _"Son of a…." _She stepped through the Stargate and briefed the General.

Without warning the scene abruptly changed to the inside of what she assumed was the ship. There was a large, burly man who looked like he'd been in a number of brawls over the years. Scars ran along his jaw and the side of his face giving him a menacing look, which was enhanced by the glare he cast toward the man in front of him. The Colonel's hands were bound behind him as he was being forced to his knees. _"Back off."_ His reward for speaking was a hard jab to his ribs. Sam gasped in surprise at the sudden violence and the pained grimace on his face. She could hear her dad, "Sam, are you all right?" She nodded, keeping her eyes closed to focus on the scene in her mind's eye. As she watched he cruelly pulled the Colonel's head back at a sharp angle. _"The next words you speak will be in answer to my questions or I will beat you into oblivion." _The threat in his words was real, she could tell by the evil looking gleam in his eyes. He was simply looking for a reason to make good on it. The Colonel stared him down but thankfully held his tongue. _"Where can I find your world?" _When he refused to respond the man lifted a long heavy looking pipe of sorts. _"I will ask you again, where can I find your world?"_ Again the Colonel kept quiet. The man glared at him again before swinging the pipe. It made a loud clank as it hit the floor in front of him. To his credit, the Colonel didn't flinch. _"Where can I find them?"_ He was much more insistent now and Sam sensed that there was violence in store for the Colonel if he remained silent. _"You know that big honkin' stone ring on the planet's surface? Take a step through that and you'll find them, if they don't find your sorry hide first."_ The man smirked then without warning the pipe slammed into the Colonel's back, knocking the wind out of him. He gasped and coughed as he caught his breath. _"You wanted an answer, I gave it to you. We came through the Stargate." _Grabbing the Colonel's jacket front the man yanked him to his feet and hauled him to a side room where his cohorts chained the Colonel to some manacles hanging from the ceiling in what was apparently a torture / interrogation room. Sam felt her stomach flip and roll as the implications hit her. _"Now that you have given me the Stargate I'm sure you wouldn't mind giving me the address to your world." "You can forget it. You already know how to use the 'gate so figure out the address yourself. There can't be more than several million addresses you could try to make it work. Have fun." "You are most uncooperative. I think I can persuade you to be forthcoming with your answers." _The pipe made another appearance as it was handed to the man by another mean looking fellow. Sam cringed inwardly as he swung it close to the Colonel's face. _"I think the blonde female will make a most pleasing concubine, don't you?" _Sam saw the fury in the Colonel's eyes. Keeping his cool, he didn't give the man any ammunition to use against him. Eyeing the Colonel closely the man smiled. _"Your eyes betray you. Yes, I think the woman will do quite nicely, once she's been broken of course. I believe I shall bring her in next." _There was a piercing scream from another room close by. _"After my men have finished questioning her suitably."_ The Colonel's head snapped up at that. Realization hit Sam like a ton of bricks; they'd tried to make him think they'd captured the others too. She could see the manacles on the Colonel's wrists starting to sink into them as he slowly pulled against them. _"If you value your existence you'll stay away from her." _There was icy coldness in his voice and an icy glare in his eyes. _"If you lay a finger on her these chains won't be strong enough to keep me from snapping you in half." _The intensity in his eyes and the intensity and venom in his words made her shiver. _"So, you do care."_ She could see the instant he realized he'd been played. He knew now that they didn't have her; it was an attempt to find something they could use against him. _"You never had any of them."_ He bit his lip as he inwardly scolded himself for falling for what now seemed an obvious ploy. The man smiled evilly and swung the pipe catching the Colonel in the side of his face. Sam jumped as the beating continued with repeated hits to various parts of his body from the pipe. She could see how much pain he was in. There were unbidden tears of pain squeezing from his eyes. She felt a tear run down her cheek and she opened her eyes.

"Shut it off, now!" When she looked at the Colonel she could tell that he'd been physically and most likely mentally shaken by the experience of reliving those memories. There was a slight shake to his body that was almost unnoticeable had she not been focusing on every nuance of his face and eyes. "I'm so sorry, Sir."

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Thanks for reading, and please review.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Who Will Pick You Up When You Fall Down

Summary: When pushed too far even the strongest warrior may break. And when Jack is pushed to the brink how will he react and how will those who care most for him reach out to him.

Featured: Sam/Jack

Disclaimer: They're not mine, no infringement intended, no profit made, and no payment requested but reviews. :o)

**Chapter 4**

Janet stepped in, "He's exhausted, this little trip down memory lane took a lot out of both of you. Colonel, lie down and get some sleep." The fact that he ignored her didn't surprise her, but his response to Sam's prodding did.

"You need sleep." Sam nodded to the others as they left them alone except for Janet who wanted to make sure he did as she asked. "Please, Sir?" She wasn't quite sure what to do when he followed her suggestion but instead of turning and laying back on his pillows he leaned toward her and laid his head on her leg facing away from her. She was stunned for a moment until she realized he was already sound asleep. He truly was exhausted and she was closer than his pillows, but still she thought. Hearing the curtain around the exam bed being pulled mostly closed she realized Janet had been watching him. She ignored the guilty feeling in the pit of her stomach that tried to make her feel like she was doing something wrong. He needed her and she wasn't going to push him away just because she felt a little awkward about how this fit into the regs. If the General had an issue with it he would have told her so, besides he had agreed with Janet earlier when she wanted her to clean him up. Watching him sleep she tried to keep her own eyes from drifting closed. The effort it seemed to take to connect two minds using the recall devices was surprisingly exhausting. Without thinking she gently brushed her fingers through his hair.

Jacob watched his daughter through the small opening in the curtain. There was such love and tenderness in her actions as she touched Jack's hair and watched him sleep. He wished he could make this easier for both of them but he knew it was up to Sam to draw Jack out and he had no doubt that she could, whether she used the recall devices or not.

She glanced up and saw her dad watching her. He stepped around the curtain. "We can't put him through that over and over. I can't do that to him." Looking down at the Colonel for a moment she thought of a way to make this easier on him. When she looked up at her dad she asked, "Is there a way I can show him my memories instead of his?"

"Yes, but you would both need to be focusing on your memories. The fact that it worked in the first place tells me that you were able to guide him with your memories of the planet. Then his memories took over from their, even if he didn't want them to. He might just let you lead him into your memories, but he might fight them because they aren't his. At this point it seems like he's rejecting this as reality which means it might seem to him like a trick. If he thinks somebody is messing with him he could retreat farther into his mind." Seeing the battle going on behind her eyes he nodded toward him. "He's not the only one who needs some sleep, Sam."

She nodded. "I know, but if I move I'll wake him up. After what I saw I can't just leave him to the mercy of his dreams. Those memories might cause him to have nightmares." Gently she smoothed his hair again.

"All right, but you can't try this again until you've had some sleep too, Sam." She looked up at him with a quick nod. As he was getting ready to walk out he noticed she leaned her hand on Jack's side. His eyes and Sam's widened when Jack gently covered her hand with his in his sleep.

Sam stared at her father as he gave her a small smile before walking out. When she looked at the Colonel she could see that he was still asleep. She smiled as she watched him sleep. He didn't seem to be having any nightmares after his horrific memories. Sam leaned back to stretch out a little so she could get a little sleep too.

After a short nap Janet felt sure that they would both be ready for some food. When she walked around the curtain the sight before her made her smile. Sam had apparently tried to get comfortable without waking him up. To do so she had leaned at an awkward angle leaning her head on his hip without making him move. She was impressed but she knew that couldn't be comfortable. Noticing that he had his hand over her hand Janet eyed him closely to see if he was really asleep. He was.

Sam slowly sat up and stretched; as she did she realized where she'd been sleeping. Looking at him she saw him open his eyes. "Good morning, Sir. I hope you don't mind me falling asleep on you. I guess I was following your lead." Glancing across from her she spotted Janet. "Hi, Janet."

"I trust you both got some sleep. If you'd like I'll have some food brought in since I don't think you've eaten in a while, Sam. I doubt that the people who captured the Colonel were very forthcoming with food either."

"Sounds good, I think I could eat something." Waiting until Janet had walked away Sam looked him in the eyes again. "I am so sorry about putting you through that, Sir. I know we didn't even scratch the surface of what they did to you yet. Will you actual let me use these things again?" She motioned to the recall devices still on their temples. She was surprised when he sat up without any prompting from her and turned to look at her. A small shiver ran down her spine as he stared deeply into her eyes. Something in the look in his eyes had changed, the little spark she'd noticed before was very noticeable to her now. "You're afraid to believe that you really are free now. Do you think that this is some kind of trick? Just when you start to believe you think that your captors will pull the rug out from under you and use it against you." Reaching up gently and touching his face she asked sadly, "How did they push you of all people that far?"

Janet paused with the tray not wanting to interrupt them but she could tell Sam had already heard her. As Sam quickly pulled her hand away from his face and turned toward her she tried to make it seem as if she hadn't seen or heard any of it. "Well, I wasn't sure what either of you would like so I brought some fruit, a sandwich, and of course Jell-O." With a small smile she placed the tray of food on a rolling stand for them.

"Thanks, Janet." As her friend walked away Sam picked up half of the sandwich and started to hand it to him. She wasn't sure if he would take it or she would have to do something like she had when he showered. Picking up his hand she put the half sandwich in it and watched to see what he would do. His eyes never left her and she was afraid this wasn't going to work then an idea came to her. Reaching out she took his hand and moved it so that she could take a bite of the sandwich then as she chewed she pushed his hand toward his mouth. She was delighted when he took a small bite. "It's tuna fish today." He took another bite but never even looked at the food. He kept his eyes on her as she smiled and picked up the other half of the sandwich. "It's pretty good." As she took another bite he coughed then dropped what little was left of his half onto his lap as he grabbed her hand. Having an idea what was happening she quickly set her sandwich down and grabbed one of the disposable pans, holding it up to him as he lost what little he had eaten. "Janet!"

Hearing the noise Janet was almost to them when Sam called her. "I was afraid of that." Pouring a small glass of cool water for him she handed it to Sam as she dampened a cloth for his face. "Here." She realized she didn't need to tell Sam what the cloth was for as her friend gently laid it across the back of his neck as his vomiting subsided into dry heaves.

"Shhh, it's alright, Sir." As he sat up straight she moved the cloth to his forehead. Handing the pan to Janet Sam held up the cup of water. "Here, Sir, you can rinse your mouth then have a nice drink of cool water." She held the cup to his lips and waited as he took a small sip. Janet handed the pan to her and he spit out the less then appealing liquid. After giving the pan back to Janet she held the cup up to his lips again. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the surprised look on Janet's face when he held the cup to take a sip. Feeling sure that he wasn't going to get sick again she set the cup down and took the cloth from his forehead. Lightly patting his face with the cool cloth she glanced at Janet. "What happened?"

"My best guess is that I was right about his captors not feeding him. If he's been without food for a very long time his stomach might not be able to handle anything very substantial or flavorful for a little while." Watching him she noticed that he seemed to have used up all of his energy when he got sick. "I'm sorry, Colonel, I should have thought to bring you something lighter to eat." Lightly patting his leg she turned to grab a small pan and filled it half way with water. As she set it on the stand she motioned to it, "To wet the cloth again." Seeing Sam's nod she headed back toward her office to order something lighter and blander for the Colonel to eat later, after he'd had a chance to lie down.

When Janet left Sam looked at the Colonel, "Why don't you lie down for a little while, Sir. We can try food again later." Looking at her with weary eyes he laid down with his head on her leg again. She watched as he quickly fell asleep. Quietly she wet the cloth again and rang it out trying not to wake him as she did. Gently she laid it against the side of his neck.

There was a sickened feeling in Jacob's stomach as he watched them. The man he considered a friend as well as an ally had been so brutally treated that he couldn't even eat a few bites of regular food without getting sick. From the looks of it even that simple act had taken all his energy. When he'd walked in Janet had briefly told him what had happened and the sick feeling had begun and then he had come over to look in on him to find the scene of extreme compassion before him. His daughter was doing her best to hide the very unmilitary feelings he knew she had for Jack. Thank you Anise, he thought as he remembered her report on the za'tarc incident. Like he hadn't figured out the non-regulation feelings she and Jack had for each other before then. Jacob knew Sam hadn't seen him yet because, though George had even suggested himself that she should be the one to help Jack as he acclimated to home again, she would not intentionally let her feelings show in front of others. Except perhaps her teammates and maybe Janet, he thought.

Sensing something Sam discreetly moved her hand away from the cloth. "Hi, Dad," she said before she'd even looked up. "Did Janet tell you what happened?"

He nodded. "Why don't you go ahead and eat something. You need to keep your strength up if you plan to keep using the recall devices."

She shook her head. "I'm not hungry anymore."

"Sam, I know you're concerned about him and I'm sure they did some pretty horrible things to him, but you…." He was interrupted by the uncharacteristically harsh sound of his daughter's voice.

"You have no idea what they did to him and if I get my hands on them they'll wish they'd never even thought about touching him."

"Sam, what did they do?"

Carefully pushing the edge of the Colonel's shirt up she let Jacob see a few of the marks on his skin.

"Good gracious, does he have marks like that everywhere?"

As she pulled his shirt down again she sighed, "Just about."

After seeing what he now knew was a small sample of the cruelty inflicted on his friend he could see why Sam was so upset. "I'll sit with him for a little while if you want to get some sleep, Sam" Seeing her shake her head no, as he expected she would, he tried to let her know that she could open up to him if she wanted to talk. "I know this can't be easy for you. If you want to talk I'm here." Seeing the look on her face change from sadness to appreciation he smiled and gently patted her leg before walking out.

Pushing her sadness at the way he'd been treated away, Sam returned to her vigil. Picking up the cloth she moved it to his forehead again. Trying desperately to keep her eyes open she yawned and stretched as best she could without waking him up. Sighing at the futility of her efforts to stay awake she tried to figure out how to lie down again without disturbing him. Eventually she opted to simply lie back, even though it would mean her head would be close to hanging off the edge of the bed. She felt like she'd only been asleep for a few minutes when she woke to the feel of eyes on her. Sleepily opening her eyes she was immediately caught by the terrified look in the deep brown eyes staring into hers. Quickly sitting up she registered the fact that he had moved while she was asleep, without her prompting, to sit next to her. "Did you have a nightmare, Sir?" Seeing that the look in his eyes hadn't calmed much she reached out to gently touch his cheek. "It's alright, it's over. That scum bucket can't get to you here, you know that." Lightly moving her thumb across his cheek she saw the look in his eyes calm. "How did he do this to you, Sir? There had to be something that pushed you this far. You don't cave under torture, so he had to have done something…." Looking at him as she moved her hand away something occurred to her, "….Or made you think he'd done something."

Janet froze when she saw the look on Sam's face as she jumped down from the exam bed and started to walk away. What in the world, Janet thought.

Sam glanced back at the Colonel as she hopped down, "I'll be right back, Sir. I need to find my dad." As she turned and took a step away she felt grounded to the spot. Her head quickly whipped around to look at him. He had reached out and grabbed her hand before she stepped out of reach. There was a plea in his eyes, she could hear it as easily as if he'd said it out loud, 'don't go'. Squeezing his hand briefly, she looked into his eyes. "I will be right back, I promise." Giving him a soft smile she was pleased to see that he seemed to accept her at her word and quickly headed toward Janet's office.

Realizing that her friend was headed her way, Janet discreetly picked up a file on a nearby stand and began perusing it. Looking up as she heard her approach Janet smiled. "Hi, Sam, what's up?"

Giving her a suspicious look Sam said, "I need to find dad. Do you know where he went?"

"I think he went to talk to the General." Seeing how quickly she bolted for the door Janet stopped her. "Sam, what's going on?"

Pausing only briefly before heading to find her dad she said, "I need him to turn these things on again. I think I have an idea how they pushed him so far." Without explaining further she left.

Sensing that this might be important Janet called Daniel and asked him to come down and bring Teal'c with him.

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Thanks for reading, and please review.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed so far! The flood of support is so touching and encouraging! I'm trying to make updates for this one come a little quicker than the others I've been working on. So here's the next installment. BTW some of you were pretty close on your guesses about why Jack is acting the way he is. ;o)

Title: Who Will Pick You Up When You Fall Down

Summary: When pushed too far even the strongest warrior may break. And when Jack is pushed to the brink how will he react and how will those who care most for him reach out to him.

Featured: Sam/Jack

Disclaimer: They're not mine, no infringement intended, no profit made, and no payment requested but reviews. :o)

**Chapter 5**

As Sam walked into the General's office she spotted her dad.

"Sam, is everything alright?"

"Yes, dad. I'm sorry for interrupting, General."

He motioned her to a seat. "Please, have a seat."

"I need to head back down to the infirmary. I need you to turn these things on again, dad."

"Sam, I told you, you both need some sleep before you try again."

Roughly sitting down in the offered chair she eyed him, "That's not going to be easy. He had another nightmare and I think I have an idea of what they may have done to push him so far." Seeing that she had their attention she added, "They might have made him think they did something. I don't have any idea what, but that's what I think." Shaking her head she asked, "Did that make any sense to you?"

"Unfortunately," Jacob had a good idea where she was going with this. You think that by using torture, and maybe the recall device, they convinced him that he'd given them what they needed. Or maybe made him think they really had captured the rest of the team, something like that?"

"Exactly." Looking imploringly to the General she said, "Please, Sir, let me try again now, before these nightmares make him withdrawal again." She saw the silent exchange of looks between him and her father before he reluctantly nodded.

Sam was out the door before either of them even got up from their chairs. "I hope you know what you're doing, Jacob."

Following him toward the infirmary Jacob answered quietly, "Me too." When they reached the infirmary Sam was already telling Janet she'd gotten permission. Both men noted, with a quick relieved look at each other, that as Sam neared his bed, Jack turned hi head just enough to see her before she would have normally been his line of sight.

Sitting next to Jack, Sam started explaining what she wanted to do. "Sir, I know that what you went through was physically and emotionally painful. But I need for you to let me see. When we turn these on again, please, show me what else they did to you." She saw the hint of fear in his eyes again, but it vanished again when she took his hand. "Turn them on please, dad."

Jacob cautiously leaned close to Jack to turn on the device. Getting no resistance he relaxed and turned Sam's on. "Alright, this is like before. You need to find a common memory, like the planet, and let him lead you from there, Sam."

Closing her eyes in a long blink, Sam looked to see if Jack would follow her lead. "Close your eyes please, Sir." He did as she asked and she smiled. Closing her own eyes again, Sam thought about the planet they had been on. As she had guessed and feared they would, the first memories he pulled up were of his initial beating. Quickly he jumped through other such beatings, some of them involving a device similar to the Goa'uld pain sticks. That explained the burns he had, and the small energy weapon she saw being fired at him explained some of the other wounds.

Jack pulled violently against the chains he was dangling from. Thankfully his feet were still able to touch the floor, at least. The mean cretin from before, who carried the pipe, was grinning evilly as one of his henchmen pressed the recall device into Jack's temple. Sam could sense Jack's fear that he would unwillingly give them information because of the device. As one of the men tried to activate the recall device, Jack kicked him squarely between the legs as hard as he could, taking the man down quickly. Another man tried to grab Jack's legs to hold him still, but received a knee to the face for his efforts. Unfortunately, while Jack had been trying to fight those men off another man grabbed him from behind while another gave him some kind of injection. It made Jack feel weird, but it didn't knock him out. It was enough, though, to allow them to activate the recall device. The man with the pipe kept asking questions over and over.

Sam suddenly saw the scene in front of her change. She could still hear the man talking, but the device was causing Jack to bring up other memories. The memories seemed distorted to her, because she had been present of many of the events he was remembering, and they certainly hadn't gone the way he was seeing them now. Listening closely to what the man with the pipe was actually saying, Sam realized that he was leading Jack's thoughts with his comments. Much like Apophis had tried to with them on Natu. That's when she realized that the injection they gave him was likely similar to the 'blood of So'kar' drug that Apophis had used. This was apparently stronger, given Jack's reaction so far. They were twisting his memories and even using his deep hidden fears of what would happen if they got some of the information they were after.

The altered memories faded and she saw his torturer again as Jack was brutally beaten yet again. Several similar torture sessions with the recall device played out, Sam guessed they took place over the course of weeks. Each session was followed by a horrific beating before he was re-chained and left to deal with his brutal treatment. Another such scene of torture began to play out, or Sam thought it was.

The man with the pipe walked in smirking. The man chuckled as Jack glared at him. _"You need not glare at me today. I've no need to question you now." _Sam felt the cold dread that shot through Jack at those words. _"You have been most helpful lately and I doubt you even noticed. The information you unwittingly supplied made the attack on your base much more successful than it would have been without your help." _

"_You're lying!" Jack growled with a narrowed gaze._

The man outright laughed in his face. _"You're people put up quite a fight, don't doubt that. Especially her."_ There was a leer in the man's eyes as he added, _"As I suspected, she was quite pleasing. Unfortunately, she was far too spirited to 'use' for long. I suppose it was her wish to go down fighting, as she did. Like the others, in that fantastic explosion of violence."_

Jack was seething in fury as he heard this pig talk about 'using' Sam. He knew what he meant, and he didn't believe it for a second. That anger quickly turned to guilt and overwhelming grief as the man pulled what was unmistakably an SG-1 patch from his pocket.

There was a lock of golden hair hooked to it and the man inhaled deeply with a satisfied smile as he brushed it along his jaw, as if remembering the battle with glee. _"I thought I should bring you a souvenir of the victory you helped secure." _Tossing it at Jack's feet the man eyed him with delight as Jack's carefully honed soldier façade crumbled.

The ever present pipe appeared and just as the man was about to swing it, Jack yanked harshly on his manacles, tearing his skin as he ripped his hands free. He slammed the stunned man backwards. The pipe clattering to the floor loudly. Jack only got a few solid punches in before the henchmen came to the aide of their leader. As soon as they pulled Jack off of their leader, he received a barrage of fists and feet, and he fought back fiercely. At first. After a few minutes he simply lay there as they continued to pummel him ruthlessly. His gaze was fixed on the patch and lock of hair lying forgotten on the floor nearby. He closed his eyes as they continued until they finally seemed to decide they'd had enough fun.

As the door slammed shut Jack opened his eyes, staring at the patch again for a moment. Using what little strength he had at the moment, he pulled himself across the floor to crawl to it and pick it up. There was indeed a lock of golden hair attached to the official SG-1 patch. The thing that had Jack now convinced that the man's claims were actually true was the dark blood staining parts of both the patch and the lock of hair. Tears ran freely down his face as he knelt holding the patch in front of his eyes.

A silent moment later, he suddenly slammed his fist into the floor so hard that Sam was sure he had to have broken it. _"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."_ His voice was so quiet that it was difficult to hear even in his own memories. Touching the lock of hair, his grief seemed to break loose. _"Noooo! … Sam!" _he cried loudly before rocking back and forth, holding the patch tightly.

Sam had never seen him cry openly like that as sobs wracked his body. After a little while his sobs finally subsided and he laid brokenly on the floor, still holding the patch. What Sam was hazarding a guess was hours later, the henchmen came to drag him to his new cell. As they opened the door he slid the patch into his pocket. He didn't say a word as they physically drug him from the room. Even when they threw him into his new cell, he didn't make a sound. In the dim light, he carefully pulled the patch from his pocket. He held it to his forehead with both hands. _"Sam, forgive me. Forgive me."_ His words were quiet and tinged with sorrow.

Only a moment later the man with the pipe suddenly stormed into the room. Jack ignored him as he yelled about the tooth that had been knocked out by Jack's earlier punches. It didn't take long for the man's patience to wear out and the beating to begin. Doing nothing more than flinching at some of the harshest impacts, Jack seemingly ignored the torture. This was apparently the beginning of what, on the surface, seemed like catatonic behavior. Sam couldn't decide if it was because he felt he deserved to suffer for what he thought he'd done to lead to their destruction, or because with them gone he didn't care what happened to him. She realized that it was likely both. He kept a tight hold on the SG-1 patch, even when he was hit so hard that it knocked him to the floor. After the beating, Jack slid the patch into his pocket and simply stared at the far wall. Similar scenes, that had likely happened over a few weeks, rapidly appeared. The notable change from the earliest beatings was that he made no sound and never tried to defend himself in any way. This cycle of cruelty had become his existence now, so he had retreated into his mind. That seemed to be why he didn't snap out of it when he was rescued. It could have easily just been all in his head.

Sadly, Sam said, "Turn them off, dad." She didn't realize until the device was off, that she had been crying. Staring into Jack's eyes, as he slowly opened them, she saw the tears that had silently flowed down his cheeks as they relived his torture. "I'm sorry, Sir. I wouldn't have put you through that if I didn't think it was absolutely necessary." Fresh tears rolled down both their faces. "I am so sorry," she whispered again. Trying to regain her composure, Sam asked, "Janet, can we get the clothes he was wearing earlier? I need to look for something." Sam never took her eyes off of Jack as she asked the questions. It was as if they locked on each other's gaze. Oblivious of their small audience, she squeezed his hand, which she still held. "I should have stayed with you. I should have watched our six. I should have picked up the ship sooner. I should have got us out of their faster. I should have…"

Her obvious distress and self doubt had Jacob ready to pull her into a hug, but her rant was cut off before he could even move. The reason she abruptly stopped in mid sentence was the sudden tight squeeze of her hand, by Jack. His other hand came up to cup her cheek, his thumb gently brushing some of her tears away.

Janet reappeared with the clothes that Sam had asked for and froze at the sight before her. Quietly walking over to them she said softly, "Sam, I found the clothes."

Glancing toward her friend, Sam reluctantly let go of Jack's hand. When he let go of her cheek, she turned to take the clothes from the petite doctor. "Thanks, Janet." Reaching into the pocket she remembered seeing him slide the patch into, her breath caught. She knew the patch had to be there, but finding it made his treatment at the enemies' hands even more real to her. Pulling it out, she looked at the blood stained patch and hair. Tightly holding it, Sam looked up at Jack to see that for once he wasn't staring at her. Instead, his eyes were locked onto the item in her hand. He stared at it for a long moment before he slowly looked up into her eyes. "It wasn't mine, Sir." Sam's voice was soft as she tried to convince him of the truth. He looked between them again, staring at the patch then back at her again. "It wasn't mine."

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I tried to make sure I didn't leave a terrible cliffhanger. I almost stopped right in the middle of Jack's memories. Somehow I thought I might get in a little trouble with everyone if I did that. :o) Thanks for reading, and please review.


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Who Will Pick You Up When You Fall Down

Summary: When pushed too far even the strongest warrior may break. And when Jack is pushed to the brink how will he react and how will those who care most for him reach out to him.

Featured: Sam/Jack

Disclaimer: They're not mine, no infringement intended, no profit made, and no payment requested but reviews. :o)

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone for the reviews, I really appreciate them. I'm sorry I haven't been replying to each individual one, but real life jumped up to take a bite out of our family multiple times in the past several months. So, I want to give a big shout out to all of you again for the reviews. I know updates have been very far between. I'm trying to work on that, but again I've had several serious real life issues to deal with and come to terms with. I've gotten a little of my muse back now I think.

**Chapter 6**

"People, I want you all to meet in the briefing room, now," the General said quietly. "You too, Major. You can come back down as soon as we're done."

"Yes, Sir," Sam replied softly. "Sir, I have to go with them to the briefing. I'll be back as soon as I can." Sliding off the side of the bed, she looked at Jack again before she walked out.

Janet was gathering her notes and Jack's file when she heard Sam leaving. Heading for the door herself, she saw that Jack was still staring at the doorway Sam had just left through. He laid down only a moment later, of his own accord. It was progress, she thought as she bolted to the elevator. Sam held the doors for her as she approached. On their way to the briefing room Janet told her about this new little bit of progress and was surprised when her friend grinned and nodded. After Sam explained to her about him sitting up on his own, after the nightmare, Janet realized it was more progress than she thought.

* * *

The briefing was much more informative this time, and much longer. Sam explained what she had seen, leaving out certain details she felt would be an invasion of Jack's privacy. Such as him calling out her name in his grief, and that the man with the pipe targeted his feelings for her. Whether the man had realized those feelings were, or had just assumed it was protectiveness for a teammate, she couldn't tell. After relating the severity and frequency of his beatings, as well as vaguely explaining his eventual breakdown, she felt they finally had some hope. Now they knew what had been done to him, maybe they could do better at trying to alleviate his misgivings about his reality.

As soon as they were dismissed Teal'c, Janet, and Daniel headed for the door. Jacob paused near his seat as Sam seemed to debate between the General's open door and following the others. The fact that she hadn't immediately gone back to the infirmary told him that there was something serious on her mind. After a moment she finally seemed to decide to let it go and head for the hallway. Then he noticed that she paused before turning toward the elevator. Quickly making up his mind, Jacob followed her and stepped into the elevator with her. She gave him an almost nervous smile as he decided to go for broke. They were alone after all. "Are you going to tell me what's on your mind, since apparently you decided not to tell George?"

Sam's eyes went wide, "What do…"

Jacob held up his hand to interrupt her. "I know you, honey. It's something about what Jack went through, I'd guess. Something you felt might violate his privacy. You're torn between keeping his confidence and revealing details that might be useful in drawing him out. But they might also be unimportant in the grand scheme of things."

Leaning back against the wall of the elevator, Sam sighed. "So who guessed that, you or Selmak?"

"We both did." Cautiously gauging her reaction he added, "We also guessed that it has something to do with your feelings for each other." Seeing the look she shot him, Jacob added, "Freya didn't have to tell us, we had already figured it out a long time ago."

Staring at the floor Sam asked quietly, "Can we go to my lab for a minute?"

"Of course." Jacob hit the button for her floor and waited.

When they arrived, she explained exactly what the man with the pipe had said to Jack, about the victory over the base. This time she added what he said specifically about her.

It clicked immediately for both Jacob and Selmak. The hair hooked to the SG-1 patch was the same color as Sam's. "Poor Jack," he said softly. "They made him think everyone had been killed, but they specifically used his earlier reaction about you against him. If everyone, including you, was gone he would have nothing left to care about."

Nodding, Sam looked up at her dad. "I think seeing me holding the patch might push him to believe that this is reality. I hope it did anyway. Speaking of the Colonel, I should really get back to him. Do you think Janet would let me take him somewhere for a while?"

As they approached the door Jacob shook his head, "I really don't know, honey."

She walked ahead of him all the way to the elevator and to the infirmary. They both froze as they entered. Jack was lying on his side, but he wasn't asleep. His eyes were fastened on the patch lying in front of him on the bed.

"No, not again," Sam whispered sadly, assuming that he had retreated again. To her utter relief and delight, at the sound of her voice he immediately looked at her. Stepping over to him, Sam was pleased to see him sit up of his own accord. "I'm sorry I was gone for so long, Sir." Picking up the patch, she held it up to look it over before showing it to him. "It's not mine, Sir. They tricked you. They used the recall device to mess with your memories, like Apophis tried to do to us on Netu. I think the injection they gave you enabled them to do it more easily." The look in his eyes seemed to say he was thinking the information over. "If Janet will let me, I'd like to get you out of the infirmary for a while."

As Janet walked up to them, she shook her head. "Not yet, Sam. He Hasn't even eaten much solid food yet. Just that little bit of sandwich that didn't stay in his stomach long."

Looking at her pleadingly Sam asked, "Why don't we try some jell-o then?"

Nodding, Janet went to the small fridge by her office. Pulling out two cups of jell-o she brought them over with some plastic utensils. "Here, you didn't eat much either, Sam."

Taking the cups, Sam sat down next to Jack and held out the red jell-o and a fork. Jacob watched them as Sam finally picked up Jack's hands, put the cup in one and the fork in the other.

"You need to eat something, Sir. I'm sorry, but this time I'm not taking a bite first. You're the one who likes the red. I've got my blue." Holding up the jell-o for emphasis she noticed that for the first time, aside from the SG-1 patch, he looked at something other than her.

Glancing briefly at the cup in her hand, Jack quickly turned his attention back to her eyes.

Keeping her eyes on him, Sam dug her spoon into the jell-o and took a bite. Glancing at his hands, she noticed he lifted some of the jell-o to his mouth. There was the slightest raise of his eyebrows as he swallowed the bite and looked at her. "Nothing else tastes quite like jell-o does it, Sir." Grinning at him, she polished off the rest of her cup and was pleased to see him doing the same. "There's more if you're still hungry, but I know if we both want another cup we'll have to promise to eat some real food too. Do you feel like trying something a little more solid?"

He set the empty cup on the stand next to him with a questioning look in his eyes. It was fortunate they'd gotten very good at silently communicating with their eyes over the years.

"I was thinking just a peanut butter sandwich. How does that sound, Sir?" As the look in his eyes changed slightly, she knew it was okay with him. Turning her gaze toward Janet's office, Sam saw her friend. "Janet, can we get a peanut butter sandwich for the Colonel?"

"Sure, Sam. Just remember to take it slow." Janet headed off to retrieve the food.

A few minutes later she returned sandwich in hand. "Thanks, Janet." Turning her attention back to Jack, Sam held up the sandwich. "Alright, Sir, if you eat this and can keep it down Janet might let me take you out of the infirmary for a little while." Holding half of the sandwich out to him she waited to see what he would do. He kept his eyes on her face, but hesitated to take the food. "Please?" Looking intently into his eyes, Sam said softly, "Show me I haven't lost you."

That seemed to be enough for him. Without looking away from her he took the half sandwich from her hand and bit into it. A brilliant smile lit Sam's face as she watched him eat. It took longer than it normally would have for him to finish the half, but considering he really hadn't eaten much lately it wasn't too bad. When the first half was gone and she held the other half out, he took it without hesitation. By the time he finished it there was a cold glass of water in her hand.

Seeing the look he gave her, Sam explained, "I know how thirsty peanut butter can make people." He took the glass and drank slowly from it. When he finished and set the glass on the stand by the bed, Sam smiled. "Janet, would it be alright if we went on a little walk?"

The petite doctor realized her friend must have noticed her watching from the office doorway. "Alright, but please don't go too far. After all it is night."

Returning her gaze to Jack, Sam said, "How about it, Sir?" Seeing no indication of dislike from him, she slid slippers in front of his feet.

Jacob had to smile as Sam gently nudged Jack's feet against the slippers before he slid them in. She was definitely getting through to him from what Jacob could see. It wasn't really a surprise, given their feelings for each other and the connection they had developed over the years. It didn't take long for them to be on their way. Jacob walked with them as Sam led the way topside. So that's what she was up to. Jack hadn't seen outside since he arrived, and it appeared that she was going to give him a chance to make up for that.

Once they were topside Sam showed them to a short trail to a ice lookout point. The view was amazing, especially on a clear night. Turning slightly, she gently touched Jack's arm. "Look up, Sir." He followed her instruction and tilted his head back to stare up at the sky. She heard the slight hitch in his breathing as he took in the beautiful array of stars. "I would have brought your telescope, but I haven't actually been home yet." When he turned to look at her, there was a tiny hint of a smile on his lips. It wasn't much, but it was progress.

The trio spent several more minutes just looking at the stars before Jacob suggested that it was time to go back. He noticed how Jack seemed to hesitate briefly before following Sam toward the entrance. As they neared the checkpoint he saw Jack, out of the corner of his eye, take another glance at the sky. When they returned to the infirmary he cast a quick look toward Janet's office before excusing himself. As he walked away he saw Sam carefully returning Jack's slippers to their spot under the edge of his bed. There was a sadness about her still, and he feared it wouldn't go away until Jack was truly himself again.

"Jacob, how did the walk go?" Janet asked as he stepped into her office.

"Pretty well. We went up to a lookout point to see the stars. It certainly seemed to hold Jack's attention." Jacob took a seat in front of the doctor's desk. "In fact, when we were on our way back inside I saw him look up at the stars again. No prompting or anything."

Janet's eyes lit up, "That's good. He's becoming more independent. I was really starting to worry that his condition was going to be more prolonged, but Sam has done wonders for him."

"Confidentially speaking, I hope that when he gets through this they can get their relationship on track." He saw the wide eyed astonishment on her face. "I'm not an idiot and even though I'm not around them as much as you are, I'm not completely oblivious to the feelings they share." Leaning forward he pointedly stared in her eyes. "I'm not the only one here that knows. I want my daughter to be happy, and I want Jack to be happy too. They need each other for that to happen."

"I agree, but the regulations…"

"I don't care what the regs say. They need to be together. It's not often you find your soul mate, but I think they have. I've seen how much they've sacrificed to keep this world safe. It's time to save themselves as well." As Jacob stood to leave he added, "Also, I don't think Jack's going to be too willing to go back out there after this experience. Even if he can eventually clear a psych evaluation."

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed the long over due update. Please review if you are so inclined. :o) Pleeeeaaaseeeeee. Oz Lovi


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Who Will Pick You Up When You Fall Down

Summary: When pushed too far even the strongest warrior may break. And when Jack is pushed to the brink how will he react and how will those who care most for him reach out to him.

Featured: Sam/Jack

Disclaimer: They're not mine, no infringement intended, no profit made, and no payment requested but reviews. :o)

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed. It's nice to know people are still interested in the story after the long delay. I apologize again that I can't always respond to all the reviews, but work and home don't always make that easy.

**Chapter 7**

For the next two days Janet kept Jack in the infirmary for observation. Things had kept on pretty much the same routine. Sam would spend a good part of the day just keeping him company, working on her laptop as he napped or telling him about what had happened while he was gone when he was awake. After a light dinner, which he was actually starting to eat, they would go topside to look at the stars before bed. Janet had discussed having him go take another shower, or at least get a shave. As she put it, he was getting pretty 'scruffy'. As much as she didn't want to get into that awkward situation again, Sam realized it might be necessary. With that in mind, she approached his bedside.

"Hi, Sir. Did you sleep well?" Sam was disappointed that he still wouldn't say anything, but he had started giving her varying looks with his eyes. Speaking with a look instead of words. It was a step forward at least. Once again he gave her a look she recognized as his 'what do you think' look. "Okay, next question then. Feel up to taking another shower?" This time his look was a bit noncommittal. "If nothing else Janet says you need a shave. I could do that for you again. If you like. Personally I think you look rugged rather than scruffy, like Janet said." The look she got this time actually made her blush lightly. She really hadn't meant to say that last part. Now he was staring at her with smallest of smirks and slightly raised eyebrows.

Clearing her throat self consciously Sam said, "Anyway, why don't we head to the team locker room. I'll help you get a shave and you can decide if you want to shower. It's really up to you. If you do shower you can change your clothes. All your clothes," she added with a bit of emphasis. Because she'd had to help him before she'd made sure he kept his boxer shorts on, so he hadn't gotten a new pair yet. And unless he was going to do the shower himself, he wasn't getting them. She was not about to help him shower in the buff. No way! Pulling herself from those thoughts, she realized he was still giving her that look. Turning toward the door, she listened for sounds that would mean he was following her. Sure enough, by the time she was almost to the door, she heard the soft scuff of his slippers on the tile.

Once they reached the team locker room she let him walk in before shutting and locking the door. The only people that should really be coming in were Teal'c and Daniel, but she still preferred the privacy of the locked door. Reaching into Jack's locker, Sam pulled out a set of clean clothes for him and set them on the bench. Next she grabbed his soap, shampoo, and razor. Walking into the shower area, she set his toiletries on the provided shelf then made her way out to where he was waiting by the bench. "If you're going to shower you need to get undressed, Sir." As a quick afterthought she added, "Please wait until you're at the shower before taking your shorts off. Please."

To Sam's embarrassment his little smirk grew a bit at her obvious discomfort. "I'll help you get part of your clothes off, but I am not doing the shower for you this time. I know you can do it on your own," she said in a gentle and encouraging tone. She waited with baited breath to see if he would. To her frustration, he just stood staring at her. The smirk had left his face completely and Sam finally decided to go ahead and help him as far as she had promised. Careful of his bruises, she pulled his shirt up and off before moving on to his pants. As she had insisted, she stopped after that and left the shorts and shower to him. It took her walking back to the shower area to get him moving. Turning her back when he stepped into the shower, she soaped up a washcloth and held her hand back for him to take the cloth. It was a moment before she felt him take it, then she turned on the water for him and stepped away.

Deciding to stay fairly close, she moved to the other side of the half wall. Now she could turn and look at him without seeing anything below his waist. Noticing that he did indeed drop his boxers just outside the shower she had to breathe a small sigh of relief. He'd done as she asked without extra physical prompting. That was good because there was no way on this or any other planet she was doing that part for him. Something she hadn't really seen him do yet, was react outwardly to the discomfort she was sure he felt from the myriad of bruises on his body. To her surprise he did just that as he showered. It wasn't much, but he definitely flinched when he tried to stretch to wash his back. It was encouraging that he was washing himself, but as nice as that was she couldn't stand by and let him hurt.

Stepping closer to the half wall Sam offered, "If you're sore, I can do your back for you." He paused and turned toward her silently. As she looked in his eyes she realized how much he really did hurt. The small lines of pain on his forehead were further indication of that discomfort. Holding out her hand, Sam waited as he slowly brought the washcloth up and dropped it in her hand. Mindful of his bruises she gently washed his back and neck for him. When she was done she let him rinse the suds off before holding her hand out again. "Give me the shampoo. Please," she added softly. His reaction was further evidence of the progress they were making. He turned, picked up the bottle, opened it, then handed it to her. "Thank you, Sir." Gently tugging him closer to the half wall she gave him a little nudge to turn around. Yet again he stood patiently as she washed his hair for him. When it came time to rinse his hair she stepped over to the sink and rinsed the foam from her hands while he rinsed his hair.

After she was fairly sure he was soap free, Sam stepped over and turned off the water. Keeping her back to him she held out a towel. Once he took it she made her way out to the lockers, where she'd left his clean clothes. Waiting until she heard his feet on the concrete floor, she held out a pair of boxers for him and waited again for him to take them. Sam listened very closely for the sounds of him dressing. There was a rustle of the fabric and the sound of the damp towel dropping to the floor. It was silent for a moment before she dared turn his way. To her great relief he had the shorts on and was patiently waiting for her. Picking up his discarded towel and tossing it in the laundry bin, she brought over his clothes. "Here you go, Sir. A clean uniform. That is of course assuming you'd rather have them than more of Janet's infirmary pajamas." It made her grin when he gave her an obvious frown at the suggestion. As he pulled the clothes on she mentioned, "I asked Janet if you could stay in your own quarters." That seemed to get his attention as he looked in her eyes expectantly. "Unfortunately she said not yet. However, she did promise that if you're still eating regularly by tomorrow night she would let you."

Moving over to the sink, Sam waited for him to settle on a small chair she'd left there for just this purpose. Once he was sitting, she picked up his shaving cream and razor. It didn't take long to shave away his thick stubble. When they were done all he needed was a quick rinse and pat dry. As soon as she finished, Sam motioned him toward the door again. Returning to the infirmary, Jack settled on his bed while Sam went to talk to Janet for a minute. By the time she came out of Janet's office, Jack looked thoroughly bored. Trying to perk him up, she picked up her laptop from nearby and opened a file. His attention turned to the screen as she set it on his tray, a Simpsons episode just starting.

Most of the afternoon Jack's attention was occupied with the numerous Simpsons episodes Sam had loaded in her laptop for him. Finally, he had nodded off and was lightly snoring, the episode still playing somewhat loudly in the background. Sam discreetly turned the computer off and made her way to Janet's office again.

"Hi, Sam. How is it going today?" Janet asked as her friend wearily took a seat. She didn't miss the dark circles under Sam's eyes.

"Pretty well. He did the shower himself, mostly. I did the shave for him again though. He's been communicating a bit more with his eyes the last couple days. I can practically hear some of the comments in my head. Like, 'what do you think, are you serious, not happening'. Things like that." Leaning back in her chair, Sam had to smile. "It's actually kind of like it is when we're in the field."

"But there's something still bothering you, isn't there?"

Sighing loudly she nodded, "I miss his voice. Even his sarcasm, though I think some of that comes through in his facial expressions."

Coming around the side of her desk, Janet put a reassuring hand on her friend's arm. "We just have to give him time, Sam. You know better than any of us what he's been through. Can you honestly tell me you expect him to just hop back into Colonel mode right away."

"No, I don't. In his place I wouldn't be too willing to take this for reality either. It's just so frustrating. I don't know what else to do to help him, Janet." Sam looked up at her friend with teary eyes.

"You're doing the only thing you can. You're being there for him, talking to him, keeping him grounded. Sometimes a friend's company and support is the best medicine."

At Janet's encouraging Sam had taken a short nap on one of the extra exam beds. Now she was wide awake and planning to check on Jack before grabbing them something to eat. Walking over to his bed she found him sitting up staring at the wall intently. When she stepped closer she could see the tension in his frame and the almost panicked look in his eyes. "Sir? Are you alright?" she asked as she stepped in front of him. He looked into her eyes with an intensity that almost made her uncomfortable, but he still didn't respond in any way. Gently putting her hand on his arm, she realized he was shaking slightly. "Did you have another nightmare?" Still no response, not even the silent communication with his eyes that she was getting so accustomed to.

Moving her hand away she looked at him sadly before motioning to the door. "I was just going to go get us some food. I'll be right back, unless there's something else you need?" she asked hopefully. Once again he didn't move a muscle. Before she turned to walk to the door she let her shoulders slump, "I feel so useless. I don't know what else to do to help you. I wish… I wish you would talk to me, Sir," she admitted softly. There was a change to the look in his eyes, as if he was trying to make himself do something he really didn't want to. Eventually Sam let it go and turned toward the door.

"Carter."

Sam whipped around so quickly she almost lost her balance. His voice was rough, scratchy, and quiet but it was music to her ears.

Please review if you are so inclined. :o) Oh who am I kidding, Pleeeeaaaseeeeee review. **;o)**

Oz Lovi


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Who Will Pick You Up When You Fall Down

Summary: When pushed too far even the strongest warrior may break. And when Jack is pushed to the brink how will he react and how will those who care most for him reach out to him.

Featured: Sam/Jack

Disclaimer: They're not mine, no infringement intended, no profit made, and no payment requested but reviews. :o)

A/N: Okay, so I tried to get this chapter out as quick as possible since the previous one ended kind of mid action. My computer got hit with a virus and it took a bit to get things straightened out, but it's back up and running. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I got a number of reviews and comments from people about the first thing Jack says being Carter instead of Sam. I promise there is a reason for it, and that will hopefully become clear in the next couple chapters. :o)

_Previously:_

_ "I feel so useless. I don't know what else to do to help you. I wish… I wish you would talk to me, Sir," she admitted softly. There was a change to the look in his eyes, as if he was trying to make himself do something he really didn't want to. Eventually Sam let it go and turned toward the door._

_ "Carter."_

_ Sam whipped around so quickly she almost lost her balance. His voice was rough, scratchy, and quiet but it was music to her ears._

**Chapter 8**

"Sir?" Sam's eyes couldn't have gotten much wider, but neither could her smile. She saw his hesitation before he gave her an almost imperceptible nod. "I need to tell Janet and the guys. I promise I won't let anyone bombard you with questions until you're ready," she added when she saw the apprehension in his eyes. He swallowed hard before giving her another tiny nod before she put her hand on his arm reassuringly. "I'm not going to disappear on you, Sir. I do, however, need to go talk to the others. I'll be back as fast as I can."

Practically running from the infirmary, Sam paused at the door long enough to smile back at Jack for a second. The trip to Daniel's office only took a moment, since he wasn't there at the time. Quickly making her way up to the General's office, Sam found three of the four people she was looking for. Both Daniel and Janet were in the office talking to the General, most likely about Jack. The instant that the General motioned her in the others gave her their undivided attention.

"Major, is something wrong?" The General was worried as he took in the slight flush of her features, she definitely looked as if she'd been running.

"No, Sir. In fact things are finally starting to go right." With a big smile she explained, "The Colonel spoke to me!"

Her enthusiasm was easy to catch as Janet saw the delight in her friend's eyes. "What did he say?"

"Carter. That's all, but when I turned around I said 'Sir?' and he nodded. He actually nodded, to two different questions! I promised him that he wouldn't get bombarded with questions until he's ready though." Sam was practically bouncing on her feet she was so relieved and ecstatic.

"Alright, Major, you can head back down there. Keep working on getting him to talk. We'll do a briefing on the situation tomorrow morning." The General dismissed her with a nod and had to hide his smile when Sam nearly ran for the door again.

Sam only stopped off long enough to grab some food for the two of them. By the time she reached the infirmary Jack was leaning back against the raised head of his bed. As soon as she stepped over though, he sat up and looked at her expectantly. "Hi, Sir. I brought food for us. Is tuna salad okay today?" She held her breath as she waited for him to respond. He gave her a suspicious look before he nodded. Dangit, he knew she was trying to get him to talk again. Half of her suspected that's why he'd nodded instead. Ornery and sneaky, some things just never change, she thought fondly.

Taking a seat next to him she handed over his sandwich and they both ate in relative silence. After several minutes Janet entered the infirmary, but made no attempt to talk to Jack. She simply watched him from across the room until he finished his sandwich. Once he was through, she made her way over. "Alright, Colonel, I need to take a listen for a moment," she said as she pulled out her stethoscope. To her surprise he lifted his shirt for her. After making a quick note on his chart Janet added, "I'm sure Sam told you that you can go to your quarters tomorrow night, if you keep eating regularly." She was shocked but pleased when he looked her in the face, something he had only done with Sam before now. A smile broke out on her face. "Nice to have you back, Colonel," she said as she lightly patted his leg. Sharing a relieved look with Sam, Janet turned toward her office.

Once Janet was out of earshot, Sam looked over at Jack and studied him. "Sir?" When he turned to look at her she continued. "You were afraid that if you spoke, somehow this would prove to be a trick or another dream, weren't you?" His jaw tightened and she knew his answer. "I'm sorry. If we'd been with you maybe…" She was shocked to have him interrupt her.

"No."

Seeing the look on his face she remembered the threats and lewd suggestions his captor had made about her. She hung her head. If she'd been with him they still would have used her against him, and he would likely be blaming himself for her getting hurt. Regardless of the situation, he had finally talked to her. It only amounted to two words, but it was a start. At this point she would take it, even if it wasn't much. Moving her laptop back over onto his tray she started it up, "Would you like to watch some more Simpsons?" He grinned. That was good enough, so she started the show up and turned the tray his way.

While he watched his favorite little yellow people, Sam watched him. His frame was still tense and there was a wariness in his eyes whenever he glanced her way. Oh my gosh, why hadn't she realized it before? To him, speaking was like giving in, if this was some reality made to trick him. His words were careful and hesitant, because if this wasn't real his captors would yank the rug out from under him any second and use their knowledge that he was still in there against him. All the torture he'd gone through would start over again. They would know it was an act, a form of self preservation, and they would put an end to it for him. Speaking was his ultimate test. That was why he seemed to be trying to force himself to do it earlier, and why he seemed so wary of everything now. He'd spoken one word, which his captors could have seen as a fluke, but now he'd spoken more than once and interacted with someone besides her. He had just been waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Realizing that she'd been lost in thought for a few minutes Sam refocused on the man in front of her only to find that he was staring at her intently. Tears welled in her eyes as she returned his gaze. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you about talking. I didn't even realize how much of a leap of faith that would be now. I'm…I'm really glad it was me you spoke to, Sir. I really missed you," she added softly as she ducked her head. Only a few seconds went by before his hand gently lifted her chin. She looked into his searching eyes and gave him a small smile. So softly that she almost didn't hear it he said, "Missed you." Releasing her chin, he returned to the episode he was watching. Deep down, Sam knew how much trust he was putting in her, believing her when she promised him this was reality. She just hoped that he would start putting that trust in the others around them as well.

Sorry this update is short, but I didn't want to leave it hanging. Please review if you are so inclined. Oh who am I kidding, Pleeeeaaaseeeeee review. **;o)**

Oz Lovi


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Who Will Pick You Up When You Fall Down

Summary: When pushed too far even the strongest warrior may break. And when Jack is pushed to the brink how will he react and how will those who care most for him reach out to him.

Featured: Sam/Jack

Disclaimer: They're not mine, no infringement intended, no profit made, and no payment requested but reviews. :o)

A/N: Aside from being without my laptop for a bit, about the only thing to say is I'm really sorry about the delay in updates. My muse apparently went on hiatus without telling me. I have rewritten parts of this over and over, but just wasn't satisfied with the results. I'm still not 100% happy with how this chapter has turned out. Please let me know what you think, and I apologize to those reviewers that I didn't respond to individually. I've been fairly busy in RL so haven't always had a lot of time to type, we've also had a lot of emotional turmoil in our family. Your reviews are important to me and again I apologize for not responding.

_Previously: _

_Deep down, Sam knew how much trust he was putting in her, believing her when she promised him this was reality. She just hoped that he would start putting that trust in the others around them as well._

**Chapter 9**

For the next two days Jack didn't say another word, much to Sam's disappointment. Even though he didn't speak, he did do something to encourage her. She was sitting in a chair by his bed, working on her laptop, when Janet came over to check on him. There was something in his posture that drew Sam's attention. As usual, Janet picked up his chart, smiled, and looked at him. "Good morning, Colonel."

There, Sam saw it this time. Jack clenched his jaw, as if he was bracing himself for something. Janet seemed to notice too, but didn't call him on it. Sam waited quietly as her friend gave Jack a quick look over. When she finished filling in the information on his chart Janet turned her attention briefly to Sam. Giving her a small shrug, conveying that she didn't know what was going on with him either, Sam glanced to Jack again.

Janet looked back to Jack and gave him a small smile. "Well, I'll let you get back to your Simpsons, Colonel." Just as she was about to turn away her breath caught in her throat as Jack looked her right in the eyes and gave a small nod. Her smile broadened and she gave his arm a light pat before going ahead and leaving he and Sam alone.

Sam gave him a smile so big her cheeks felt like they would split. After Janet walked away he seemed to relax quite a bit. When he met her eyes, Sam gave a sigh of relief. As he turned his gaze back to the laptop she closed her eyes briefly and whispered, "Thank you." One of her biggest fears, since he'd arrived home, was that he wouldn't come out of this all the way. It was only a brief nod, but it was the first time he'd truly acknowledged someone other than her.

It was several hours later before there were any new developments with Jack, but when they came they were surprising. He'd been taking a nap, still rebuilding his strength and stamina. Sam had nodded off in her chair briefly before the sounds of his nightmare woke her up. Instinctively she moved next to him and laid a comforting hand on his arm. To her utter shock he screamed as he bolted wide awake.

"SAM!" Her name had left his lips in an anguished cry. He never really called her Sam, not since their first year as a team. Shaking off her surprise, Sam took in the terrified look in his eyes. His eyes landed on hers and her breath hitched. His hand slid into her hair as he leaned forward to suddenly capture her lips in a light kiss. Her eyes widened before she relaxed and closed her eyes briefly. As he pulled away she slowly opened her eyes and stared at him. The realization of what had just happened hit her like ice water and she stepped back abruptly.

"We can't….. It's not….. Why did….. I mean I want….. You're still….." Sam was so off kilter she couldn't get a full sentence out before the next one popped in her head and out her mouth. Running her hands through her hair quickly, she looked around to make sure no one could see them. There was a low, short chuckle across from her and her gaze shot up to Jack. "What's so blasted funny?" She honestly wasn't expecting a response, so when he actually answered her she almost missed the significance of his choice of words in her surprise.

"_My_ Carter."

"And why is that so….. Wait. What? Did you just…..?" There was a new relaxed air about him as she stared him down. "The dream made you doubt this is reality, but now you believe again." Clearing her throat a little uncomfortably, Sam asked quietly, "And what...what does kissing me have to do with that?"

Jack only stared at her with a raised eyebrow and a look that distinctly said, 'Come on you're the genius'.

After a few seconds it hit her and she gaped at him for the leap of truly O'Neill logic. "If this was a trick of their making then I would have gone along with whatever you did. Because they wouldn't know that it wasn't something we'd normally do. So, my…freaking out…meant that it was real." Sam shook her head again at his logic, but couldn't keep from smiling lightly as he gave her a small smirk.

It was a couple minutes later that the spell was broken by the distinct click of Janet's heels on the floor. "What happened? One of the nurses said Colonel O'Neill screamed." There was a strong concern in her tone.

"Nightmare," was all Jack said very quietly. It seemed to be enough though.

Janet stared at him, wide eyed for a moment, then smiled. "Sorry you're still having trouble sleeping, Colonel, but it's really good to hear your voice." Quickly making a note in Jack's file she pulled a syringe out of her lab coat. "This should help you sleep without the dreams temporarily. To the surprise of both she and Sam, Jack suddenly glared at her and leaned as far away from her as possible. Holding up her hands, Janet said, "If you don't want a sedative I won't give it to you." That seemed to make him relax again.

Taking a steadying breath Jack relaxed.

"You're welcome." Giving his arm a gentle pat, Janet turned to give Sam a small smile as she walked away.

After their friend left, Sam looked up at Jack questioningly. "Sir?" He turned toward her with a raised eyebrow. "Were you dreaming about when they told you they had killed all of us?" His eyes widened and she knew she was right. "I saw when we used the recall devices, remember?" She saw him swallow hard then quickly avert his eyes. He obviously remembered she saw the full reaction he gave them, including him losing it emotionally. Stepping back over to him, Sam put her hand on his back then leaned her head against his shoulder briefly. "I'm sorry." As she was about to move away he leaned his cheek against her head. When she did pull away he gave her a small smile of appreciation.

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They had developed a bit of a pattern over the next week. Jack would watch his videos on the laptop and Sam would quietly work on reports. She was needed elsewhere from time to time and had finally realized leaving him alone was sometimes unavoidable. Daniel and Teal'c had both started dropping by, usually when she was with Jack. At first he acted like he was completely oblivious to their presence, but Sam had caught him looking at them both out of the corner of his eye. Especially when they got very close to her. One day she actually stopped to give them both quick hugs for bringing her coffee after a long night. Jack's eyes had first narrowed, possibly in a hint of jealousy, before he softened quite a bit at the display of friendship. Sam caught his eye as she stepped back from Daniel. Their friend was quick to notice Jack's gaze and take advantage of it.

"So, Jack, how long are going to pretend you don't notice the rest of us?" When Jack refused to meet Daniel's eyes he added, "You know it's not exactly fair. After all you've been hogging all of Sam's attention and a good chunk of Janet's too. I would think by now you'd be bored out of your mind. You've been hold up in here watching the Simpsons for ages. I would expect you would be ready for some hockey and a Guinness by now." When he didn't get a response, Daniel finally sighed and held a disc out to Sam. "I guess I'll give you the DVD we recorded of the last three games. Since Jack is obviously not interested I guess you could make it into a coaster or something." Just as he was about to toss it to Sam he saw Jack move out of the corner of his eye. Turning back to his friend he had to grin. Jack wasn't quite meeting his gaze, but he did have his hand out for the disc. When he let Jack get hold of the edge of the case, Daniel didn't let go until Jack gave him a small nod of thanks. "You're welcome." With that Daniel gave Sam a nod and smile before leaving the room.

Gazing at the man in front of her with affection, Sam watched as Jack loaded the disc in the laptop and leaned back to view what appeared to be part of the playoffs. He'd listened to Daniel and responded at least a little. It wasn't much, but every little gesture or look was progress. It made her feel that much lighter and that much more hopeful.

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Additional A/N:

Sorry that it's kind of a short chapter but getting my muse to cooperate without jumping way ahead in the story was like pulling teeth - from an angry crocodile. Please review if you are so inclined, this story is really starting to frustrate me so your view on it would be a big help. Thanks, everyone.

Oz Lovi


	10. Chapter 10

Title: Who Will Pick You Up When You Fall Down

Summary: When pushed too far even the strongest warrior may break. And when Jack is pushed to the brink how will he react and how will those who care most for him reach out to him.

Featured: Sam/Jack

Disclaimer: They're not mine, no infringement intended, no profit made, and no payment requested but reviews. :o)

A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. I think my muse is back from hiatus now, so we'll hopefully keep rolling along in the story. I'm sorry it's sort of short (it looked longer in Word). I'm sorry about the delay in getting this one posted but I had computer issues, as well a respiratory infection, and a concussion. For those of you following the other two stories as well, I hope to update them shortly.

_Previously: _

_Gazing at the man in front of her with affection, Sam watched as Jack loaded the disc in the laptop and leaned back to view what appeared to be part of the playoffs. He'd listened to Daniel and responded at least a little. It wasn't much, but every little gesture or look was progress. It made her feel that much lighter and that much more hopeful._

**Chapter 10**

"Well, it's official," Janet stated with a grin. "You're physically healthy enough to be in your own room." She noticed how Jack's eyes had widened ever so slightly at the pronouncement. "While you're still re-acclimating to things, however, I would prefer to have you stay in an isolation room. This way you'll be close enough for me to check on you, but still have some privacy." With a hint of concern she glanced at Sam. From the look her friend was giving her it was obvious she'd seen it too. Beads of sweat had popped up on Jack's forehead and his eyes looked slightly panicked.

"Sir? Are you okay?" When he didn't respond, Sam got very worried. Especially when she realized that he was starting to shake ever so slightly. After a moment she leaned in close to him and spoke very softly in his ear. "It's alright, Sir. Even if they put you in an isolation room I'll still keep you company." That didn't seem to calm him as much as she'd hoped. Then it hit her. "Janet." As soon as her friend stepped closer, Sam revealed what she thought the problem was. "The isolation rooms are a lot like the cell he was kept in, just bigger." Glancing back at Jack she added, "Would it be okay, to let him stay here or go to his quarters?"

Giving him a long look, Janet was about to tell Sam she thought it best he stay in the infirmary when she saw his eyes glance ever so briefly at Sam. "I don't think his quarters are a good idea. It's too far from the infirmary, and I want to be able to keep an eye on him. In case he has anymore of those nightmares. The iso rooms are much better suited for that." Sure enough, as soon as the words were out of her mouth his shaking increased.

Looking at him sympathetically, Sam made up her mind. "Janet, he obviously doesn't feel at all comfortable with that. At the very least let me share the room with him. I can have a cot brought in."

"Sam, you're already here most of the time. How is he suppose to learn to interact with the world again, if you're constantly giving him a buffer against it. You can't be with him every second, you've already realized that. If he gets so use to you being around all the time, what happens when you're needed off world? How is he suppose to relearn how to adapt on his own. I know you two are very close, but you're not going to be able to be with him constantly once he actually gets to leave the base." There was a spark in Sam's eyes that Janet took as defiance of that idea. "We both know you can't just up and move in with him once he's off base. Dangit, Sam, it's not you're fault that this happened. I know you feel more connected to the situation because you got to see what happened through the recall device, but that doesn't make it solely your responsi..." She got cut off mid-word as Sam finally snapped.

"They used _me_, Janet!"

"How did they..." Again her friend cut her off, but the look on Sam's face made it obvious this was important.

"They used _me_ against him. Our connection, the bond we share, the feelings we're not suppose to have." A silent tear slid down Sam's cheek as she tried to keep her control. "It's how they finally made him break."

Shock registered on Janet's face as what Sam meant sank in. "What did they do?" she whispered, almost afraid of the answer.

Motioning toward Janet's office, Sam waited for her friend to nod and turn that way. Before walking that way herself, she looked back to the man sitting so uncomfortably on the bed. "I'm not going to let you disappear back in your own head again." There was a brief pause before he looked up into her eyes. "Don't give up, not after everything you've gone through to be back here with us."

As soon as Sam joined her, Janet offered her a cup of coffee and a chair. "Alright, what exactly did you see with the recall device? It's obvious now, that you left something out that day."

"I didn't want to divulge too much personal information. He wouldn't have liked that at all." Taking a sip of coffee and then a steadying breath, Sam launched into a full description of everything that she'd seen. By the time she finished there were tears in both their eyes for what Jack had gone through.

"The Colonel really should have some privacy, but I can understand that the open space and constant flow of friends through the infirmary are probably much more comforting to him right now. Eventually, when he's a little more comfortable, he is going to have to get use to being completely alone sometimes. For now though, I'll try to make his space in the infirmary a little more personal."

Sighing in relief, Sam moved to leave. "Thank you, Janet."

Once they reentered the main infirmary, Jack's eyes immediately shot to Sam's. He seemed to relax as she smiled at him. That changed quickly when Janet approached however. "Colonel, I'm sorry. I didn't realize." Having a little trouble deciding exactly what to say, she simply put a hand lightly on his arm. She was relieved when he gave her a small nod of thanks and patted her hand. Sharing a quick glance with Sam, Janet left them alone.

"I...I had to explain what actually happened after your were captured. Everything," she added quietly, knowing that he wouldn't be too pleased. Not surprisingly his eyes shot up to hers again with a slight scowl. "I'm sorry, it was the best way to make her understand what you really went through." Hesitating as the scowl didn't disappear, she backed away from him a little. "I hope you'll forgive me for revealing something so personal." Preparing to walk away long enough to let him sort through his thoughts, she was stunned to find his hand on her wrist. He gave her a softer look and tugged her closer, twining their fingers together. "So, I suppose you heard everything that Janet said to me before we went to her office." Giving her a thoughtful look for a moment, Jack finally nodded. "She's afraid we'll get so use to being together most of the time, that we'll get dependent on it and you'll have trouble being alone when you go home."

Staring at their joined hands, she sighed in mild frustration. If Jack didn't start coming out of this more than he already had, he would likely be stuck here indefinitely anyway. The world outside had always seemed so important to him, especially his cabin, but now he didn't even seem to miss the sunshine... That was it. They needed to get him to spend some time outdoors. They'd only gone outside the one time since he got back. Some time outside in the sun would probably make him feel a lot better. Now she just had to convince Janet to let her take him out for a while.

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It wasn't nearly as difficult as she'd expected to get Janet's permission for a little outdoor excursion. The General on the other hand had voiced serious concerns. What if, for some reason, Jack happened to get separated from Sam, the sensory information was too overwhelming for him, or someone else tried to confront him and he snapped? He had a point, but most of the what ifs were extremely unlikely. Finally Janet had stepped in and given Sam her full support of the idea. That was how they had ended up here, on a well worn path near the top of the mountain. It was a bright, sunny day and the instant they'd stepped out Jack had turned his face to the sun with his eyes closed. They stayed there for several minutes, just soaking up the sun.

Slowly they made their way along the gentle curve of the path. Sam had decided to keep quiet as he enjoyed the sun for the first time in ages. Now that they were moving, she was ready to talk again. "Does this help at all?" When he nodded, she had to smile lightly. Their walk was far from over when they got interrupted by Sam's radio. Janet and the General had insisted she take it, just in case. "This is Carter, go ahead." She listened patiently as a computer problem was described to her. It was connected to an important experiment they'd been running in the lab for the past two days. So that meant she had to check it out right now, rather than after their walk. "I'm sorry, we'll have to go back in," she said as she turned to Jack. He'd been watching her the whole time, she'd noticed out of the corner of her eye. Again he gave a short nod before following her back into the mountain.

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Their trip back into the mountain was fairly uneventful, until they entered the infirmary. Just as they were about to pass Janet's office Sgt. Siler almost walked straight into Jack. The officer was so surprised that he jumped. "Colonel, It's good to see you up and around." Sam held her breath as she waited to see what Jack would or wouldn't do. He hesitantly looked up at the other man and gave a small nod of acknowledgment. As soon as the man left, Jack and Sam made their way over to his area. Janet was waiting for them with a smile.

"Did you enjoy your walk, Colonel?" A smile lit the petite doctor's face again as he nodded. He'd been doing that a lot recently. Yesterday, he'd even rolled his eyes at her when she suggested they do another round of tests on him. "Sam, the lab called to see if you were here yet. Apparently they've run into another issue as well. Also, the General needs to meet with you when you're done."

Sighing in mild frustration, Sam said, "Alright, I guess I'm off to see what damage they've managed to do in the past five minutes." Turning her attention to Jack she added, "I'll be back after I fix what I can and talk to the General."

Letting their hands brush lightly Jack nodded. "Okay."

She smiled at him before heading out the door again. Admittedly, she enjoyed hearing his voice, even if it was still quiet. His words were still a rare thing and usually not more than a couple at a time, but they were music to her ears.

SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SSG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1 SG-1

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So, what does the General want, I wonder? (insert enigmatic grin) Hope you enjoyed, please let me know what you think. Thanks.

Oz Lovi


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